Viet Village Urban Farm plans hit environmental snag

A little-known project to develop 28 acres in eastern New Orleans into an urban farm has hit a major roadblock now that environmental complications have added substantially to the project's cost and a key proponent of the project, former U.S. Rep. Anh "Joseph" Cao, has left office.

View full sizeSpackman Mossop+Michaels An illustration of plans for the Viet Village Urban Farm

The Viet Village Urban Farm was designed to provide a healthy alternative to gardening on the banks of the Maxent Canal, a longtime custom of the mostly Vietnamese residents of Village de l'Est. The project, spearheaded by the Mary Queen of Vietnam Community Development Corp., also aims to provide residents with a retail outlet for their garden produce.

"The problem is that the water in the canal is contaminated, so the idea was to move the gardeners away from the canal to land where the water source is clean," said Daniel Nguyen, the farm's project manager.

But the farm's design goes far beyond a community garden. Thanks to an $78,000 grant from the Blue Moon Fund via the New Orleans Food and Farm Network, the CDC was able to commission a plan that sets aside ample acreage for growing fruit, vegetables, bamboo and herbs, as well as space for animal husbandry and a retail market. The farm was envisioned for a tract of land just off Dwyer Boulevard, adjacent to Mary Queen of Vietnam Church.

Early supporters of the project, such as chef John Besh, praised the concept of the farm and its potential role in furnishing local restaurants with fresh, organic produce. But the project has languished, disappointing backers.

View full sizeSpackman Mossop+Michaels An illustration of plans for the Viet Village Urban Farm

"It's hard to understand why it isn't already built. It just needs $1.5 million for Phase I and that would achieve significant development of the community farm and regional market," she said. "Compare that to the cost of a small building and there's no doubt that the farm is an excellent community investment -- socially, economically and environmentally. It seems that now is the time to bring considerable political muscle to bear."

But the community development corporation has yet to reach out to newly elected officials, although a group has met with U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu about the project. Donna Dugue, an aide to City Councilman Jon Johnson, said the councilman would be happy to help in any way he can, but that his help has not been sought. Likewise, an aide to U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond said the congressman is not yet involved with the project.

Cao, who shrugged off the criticism, earmarked $6.5 million for the urban farm project in his 2011 budget proposal. But the new Congress has declared war on earmarks, imposing a moratorium on new ones and threatening to strip all existing ones from the 2011 budget. The urban-farm appropriation may be at even greater risk because the man who secured it is no longer in Washington to protect it.

Sen. Landrieu has told the farm's sponsors that a funding request for the project must originate in the House and couldn't be considered until 2012.

An environmental assessment of the intended site has resulted in still more bad news for the project.

"The (Army) Corps (of Engineers) determined that the land falls into the category of what it calls 'jurisdictional' wetlands,' meaning it can't be developed unless the CDC buys environmental credits," Cao said.

The credits would cost at least $300,000, he said, and could not be bought with federal funds.

The CDC purchased a 20-acre parcel of land consisting of three separate tracts in November 2007 for $1.65 million. The group intended to lease an additional 8-acre parcel of adjacent land from the city, making the overall size of the proposed farm 28 acres.

Now, the organization intends to move the project to another location nearby to avoid the environmental costs.

To that end, Nguyen says the group is talking to landowners in the area and attempting to negotiate with the previous owner of the original tract, who owner-financed the land purchase.

If and when a suitable location is found, Nguyen says the CDC wants to use the design already developed to build the farm, making adjustments as necessary to adapt it to the new location. In addition, he says the group now envisions an aquaculture component for the project, something that expands upon the original vision of the farm as an economic engine for the Village de l'Est area.

"The BP oil spill is what has fueled the need for the aquaculture component, because so many fishermen are out of work and the community is concerned about the safety of the seafood they are consuming," Nguyen said.

Nguyen said the group is now focusing on fund-raising and soliciting grants. "Overall we probably have somewhere between $240,000 to $500,000 raised out of the $1.5 million we need for Phase I, but Phase II will require an additional $4 (million) or $4.5 million," he said.